An insurance claims adjuster is an insurance official who investigates the claims of the person seeking compensation. They evaluate the extent of the damages and determine whether or not the insurance company should offer a payout.
Insurance adjusters have a code of impartiality. They are mandated to uphold fair treatment of the policyholder and always encourage just settlements. However, these days, the reverse is always the case.
Insurance attorneys in San Antonio are no exception. With their insurance company always on their neck, they have no other option than to railroad victims of car accidents into accepting lowball offers. Statistics say that the average insurance payout in Texas is approximately $21,000 and can go as high as $35,000. You should contact a San Antonio car accident attorney if you feel that these adjusters are bombarding you with poor offers.
Why You Shouldn’t Pay Any Attention to the Adjuster
There are many reasons why car accident victims shouldn’t trust insurance adjusters. Here are some of them:
They don’t have your best interests at heart
The loyalty of the adjuster lies with the company that hired them, not with you. They will employ every legal tactic in the book to get you to trust them and make you believe that they have your best interests at heart.
Regardless of how friendly the adjuster seems, it doesn’t matter if you know them on a personal basis; do not accept their first offer. They will never give you a fair value for your damages on the first offer. Wait for your lawyer to give you their legal opinion and come up with a counteroffer.
They aren’t always honest
An insurance adjuster will never be honest or upfront about the actual value of the damages that you’ve suffered. They’ll convince you to believe that they’re offering you the best possible deal for your damages.
Without an attorney to help you come up with a fair value, you’ll likely settle for their lowball offer.
They’re here to jeopardize your case
Insurance adjusters have enough experience to manipulate you into jeopardizing your lawsuit without your knowledge. They will interrogate and cross-examine you to the extent that you might perjure yourself. Anything you say can be used against you in the final payout deliberation.
Sometimes, they’ll try to entice you with a quick settlement. When they do this, it’s very possible they have done some background checks and are trying to avoid being held liable for long-term consequences.
You’re more likely to fall for this trap if you do not have a competent attorney who’ll help you dodge all their traps and bullets.
They’ll always downplay your claims
Insurance adjusters are trained to downplay the original value of your claims just so they can save the insurance company a few bucks. In cases involving property damage, adjusters may undervalue the cost of repairs or replacement.
They might use their own preferred estimators or repair shops that provide lower estimates to reduce the claim amount.
In cases where you present a full list of medical procedures you’ve undergone, they will challenge the necessity of certain medical treatments or argue that the extent of your injuries is not as severe as you claim. They will do all this and more to reduce the overall payout.
Wrapping Up
The claims adjuster is hired by the insurance company. Their primary concern is to help the insurance company save money. They go about this in any way possible.
As soon as they begin to contact you, don’t pay any attention and refuse to give them any audience unless your lawyer is present.
